Stormpaw's Path
by Chipper13
Summary: mai frend wrot this storee
1. Prologue

The moon shone down on the cat crouched by the crystal pool, turning her fur to silver. She sat up and gazed at the stars. "It's been a long time," she mewed softly to the sky. "Thank you for letting me return to you."

"It's been too long." A flame-pelted warrior stepped out of the mist, his pelt frosty with starlight and eyes shining with love.

The cat's eyes shone with joy and she bounded over, happy as a kit in the nursery again. The two rubbed muzzles, and a purr rumbled in both their throats as greetings were shared. "Firestar!" the she-cat purred. "Thank StarClan I've found you at last. I almost thought you weren't here!" Her mew became choked with grief. "..It wasn't your time to go! You still had moons left to serve your Clan.."

Firestar gently laid his tail over her mouth. "Peace, dear one. I had always known from the moment I met him that my destiny and Tigerstar's were bound together. It was my time to die." He bent and touched his nose to her head. "Though I am here among the stars, I will always be with you.." he murmured. Then, the mighty warrior stepped back, his gaze turning serious. "I'm sorry. There already have been too many dark seasons for the Clans.. But there is yet another prophecy, which may again determine the fate of the Clans."

The she-cat felt an icy claw of fear run down her spine. "What do you mean? We only defeated the Dark Forest a few moons ago! Surely there is not yet another danger?"

The fiery warrior bowed his head. "I wish I could say no.." he murmured, so softly that the she-cat could barely hear. Then Firestar lifted his head, his gaze tinged with sorrow, and uttered a prophecy that would haunt her for moons to come.

 _"After the Four, cloud and moon will rise, but only flame will calm the storm."_


	2. Chapter 1

"Warriors of ThunderClan, attack!"

Lunarpaw leaped into Bumblestripe, who fell to the ground with a thud. "Hey!" He growled. "Leave off! I'm a friend!" He playfully pushed the little silver tabby she-cat off of him, who grinned sneakily. Bumblestripe opened his mouth to say something when a fluffy white and brown tom landed squarely on top of him. "Gotcha, Bumblestripe!" he crowed, his green eyes gleaming.

Bumblestripe chuckled and moved out from under the fluffy little tom. "Cloudpaw and Lunarpaw, my own private enemy Clan." He looked at his son and niece, amused. "Now that you've ambushed poor old me, don't you have anything better to do?"

"Oh, nothing but training and fighting for our Clan." Lunarpaw purred. She, Cloudpaw and her sister Stormpaw had been apprentices for two moons, and Lunarpaw couldn't think of anything she'd rather be. I'm going to be just as great a warrior as Ivypool and Mousewhisker one day! she thought, thinking of her parents. Everyone knows that Ivypool was really important in the battle against the Dark Forest. I'll be that important too one day.

"Yeah, hunting for the elders, protecting kits, that old stuff," Cloudpaw mewed nonchalantly, jerking Lunarpaw back to their game. She glanced warmly at her friend. They had been denmates ever since they were kits, and because her sister Stormpaw had felt her calling was in the medicine den, it was Cloudpaw who had shared her training.

Before he could respond, Bumblestripe was on his side with a little black she-cat on top, holding him with claws sheathed. "Do you surrender now?" she purred.

"StarClan help me! Stormpaw too? Have you got the whole apprentice's den after me? Where's Alderpaw? Or Firepaw? Are they going to attack me too?" Bumblestripe wailed in mock despair, looking around as if he expected the other apprentices to ambush him at any moment.

"No, you look pretty outnumbered to me." Graystripe padded over from the elder's den. Lunarpaw took a few pawsteps backwards, fearing the old former deputy would be angry. "Now, are you finished letting my grandchild and the others beat you up?" A rusty purr rumbled from the elder's throat, and Lunarpaw relaxed. His gaze turned to the black she-cat still perched precariously on Bumblestripe. "Now Stormpaw, I believe medicine cats don't attack."

Stormpaw clambered off of Bumblestripe, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "But I just did!"

"And I have the soreness to prove it," Bumblestripe winced, rising to his paws.

"What's this about someone beating up Bumblestripe?" A gray she-cat padded over, her whiskers twitching with amusement.

"Dovewing!" Bumblestripe gasped. "Our son was attacking me and your sister's kits were in league with him!"

Cloudpaw rushed over to his mother. "It was Lunarpaw's idea!"

"Well, I'm sure he can defend himself. I'm afraid I have to go on a hunting patrol now." As she padded towards the thorn tunnel, she flicked Bumblestripe's shoulder with her tail. "Take care, now. They are pretty dangerous," she purred. Bumblestripe's gaze was warm as he watched his mate turn and race through the tunnel.

"Very funny," Graystripe purred. Then, an angry yowl split the air, coming from the medicine den. All the apprentices shrank back except for Stormpaw, who flicked her tail. "I guess Jayfeather needs me," she mewed calmly, and padded towards the medicine den, her cousin and sister warily following at a distance.

Bumblestripe stood up and padded over to stand beside his father, watching the three young cats. "So much of Firestar in that one.." The old cat murmured, watching Stormpaw thoughtfully. "Even more so then Firepaw or his littermates, and Firestar is their grandfather."

Bumblestripe chuckled. "Don't forget, she has Ivypool's temper. I never saw Firestar get mad in my life." He paused as the silver and white tabby squeezed out of the warrior's den and started yowling at Sparkpaw for putting wet moss in her nest. "I rest my case," he muttered warily, flicking his ears towards the scene.

Graystripe continued watching the apprentices. "Maybe I'm wrong, but you'd better watch those three." He looked his son in the eye. "And I'm not usually wrong."


	3. Chapter 2

Stormpaw carefully nipped the tender stalks of horsetail from the base of the plant and delicately gathered them into a pile with her paw. Her mentor Jayfeather sniffed them, then picked them up in his jaws and grunted. "Good. Come on, then. We still have to gather some tansy. New-leaf won't last forever." He turned and padded further into the forest.

Stormpaw started trotting after him. She had been training with Jayfeather for two moons now, and she was used to his grumpy ways. Leafpool, her co-mentor, was much nicer. _Maybe it's because she couldn't save Briarlight._ Stormpaw felt a sharp thorn of sadness pierce her heart as she remembered the crippled she-cat who had died of greencough a moon ago. The kind brown tabby had been one of the first cats who encouraged her to become a medicine cat apprentice.

Stormpaw hurried to catch up to Jayfeather. _I'm going to be a medicine cat!_ she thought happily. She couldn't remember ever wanting anything else, even when she was in the nursery and her denmates had pretended to fight ShadowClan. Sure, she liked a good scrap now and then with her littermate and the others, and hunting was fun, but being a medicine cat was the best. She wouldn't rather do any-

"Stormpaw? Honestly, Stormpaw! What's gotten into you? I've asked you a question three times now!"

Stormpaw looked up to see Jayfeather's sightless eyes gleaming with annoyance as he mewed through the horsetail in his mouth. "Sorry." she mewed calmly. She had learned that calmness was the best way of getting her cranky mentor to calm down. "I was thinking of how great it was to be a medicine cat." _There's sharing with StarClan, and the Moonpool, and omens.._

Jayfeather sighed. "Wonderful. Just wonderful." he murmured, his mew muffled by the herbs. He stopped and dropped the herbs, mewing more loudly, "Stormpaw, I have to talk to you."

Stormpaw sat down next to him, neatly curling her tail around her paws. "What about?" she mewed. Her paws prickled with worry when she saw uncertainty in her mentor's eyes. Jayfeather was never uncertain. "..Jayfeather? Is something wrong?"

"I.. I had a vision from StarClan." Jayfeather gathered the horsetail into a pile again and paused. "Stormpaw.. Alderpaw has to become a medicine cat."

Stormpaw snorted. "Alderpaw? He's a warrior apprentice! I mean sure, he's no good at fighting or hunting, but-" Stormpaw froze. "Wait.. you want him to become your apprentice?" She fought herself to keep from wailing like a lost kit. "...What about me?"

"I don't understand it anymore then you do." Jayfeather tore at the grass with his claws. "It doesn't seem fair for you.. but I have to follow StarClan." The tom fixed his pale blue eyes on his apprentice, his mew thick with frustration and pity. "I'm sorry, Stormpaw. Honestly."

Stormpaw felt as if all of StarClan had fallen. _I'm.. not going to be a medicine cat?_ Suddenly, though she had never really noticed the younger cat before, she hated Alderpaw. "Is that it then?" she growled. "I'm to make way for the chosen one, just like that? Fine. FINE. I never liked- I never- I have to go." She turned and raced away from Jayfeather, ignoring his calls. She raced towards the lake, the wind brushing at her fur, until she collapsed by the shore. The sun was just starting to set, the first stars of Silverpelt faintly starting to appear in the sky. Stormpaw tore her gaze away from the sky, bitterness filling her heart.

 _Why, StarClan, why?_


	4. Chapter 3

Cloudpaw leaped out of the tree, a fat squirrel in his mouth. His mentor Cloudtail padded over, his eyes glowing approvingly. "Great catch!" he mewed. "The elders will be pleased with that. Why don't you go take it to them now? Squirrel is Sandstorm's favorite." He looked around the forest. "Thank StarClan WindClan hasn't decided to take our prey as well as trespass." WindClan scents had been found around ThunderClan territory. Though Onestar, the aging leader of the moor cats, had denied everything, ThunderClan warriors kept finding scents, and Bramblestar had ordered the patrols to be extra vigilant around the WindClan border.

"Sure, Cloudtail." Cloudpaw turned and padded back towards the ThunderClan camp. He had been an apprentice for five moons now, along with his cousins, Stormpaw and Lunarpaw, though Stormpaw had only started warrior training three moons ago. She had been a little miserable ever since Alderpaw had taken her place in the medicine den, even though her mentor was Bramblestar, the Clan leader, for StarClan's sake! He lashed his he thought Cloudtail was great- he was his kin, after all -having Bramblestar as a mentor would be amazing. They had all been surpised when he had said he would mentor the little black she-cat. _Come to think of it, Leafpool likes to keep an eye on her, too_. His heart quickened as the thought occured to him that they might not trust Stormpaw. Then, he shook it away _. Leafpool's always been nice to all of us, and maybe Bramblestar wanted to keep an eye on Stormpaw because she's under-sized. Anyway, we'll all be warriors soon._ The thought filled him with excitement. His and Lunarpaw's assessment was only a moon away.

As he pushed his way into camp, he spotted Lunarpaw with Firepaw in the clearing. The pretty silver tabby was happily chatting with the flame-pelted apprentice. Cloudpaw felt a twinge of jealousy, and quickly pushed it away.

Then, he heard a rustle behind him and Stormpaw padded in beside him, a rabbit hanging from her jaws. She greeted Cloudpaw with a muffled mew and the two padded over to the fresh kill pile to deposit their catches. Lunarpaw joined them a few minutes later, while Firepaw longingly looked on. Cloudpaw felt a prickle of satisfaction.

"Great catches, guys!" Lunarpaw mewed, her eyes shining. "I've been hunting since before sunhigh and I'm hungry as a badger." She took Stormpaw's rabbit and padded over to the ferns outside the apprentice den to eat it. Cloudpaw couldn't help but notice how the green-leaf sun caught her silver pelt and made it shine. He was about to take his squirrel to the elder's den when he saw Stormpaw looking at Firepaw. He followed her gaze and saw the flame-pelted apprentice pad over to Lunarpaw and sit beside her. Stormpaw sighed, her eyes wistful.

"Don't tell me you're mooning over him," Cloudpaw groaned. "He's got eyes for Lunarpaw, not you." Again, Cloudpaw felt the twinge of jealousy. _What's gotten into me?_

Stormpaw snapped out of it. "Who's mooning? I saw you looking at Lunarpaw yesterday."

Cloudpaw felt a prickle of uncertainty. Yes, he had been noticing that Lunarpaw was very pretty lately. Did that mean he liked her? He shook this thought away and crouched down and grinned. "Is that a challenge, Moony-paws?" he purred, inviting her to fight. Stormpaw growled playfully and leaped on him. They scuffled in the dust until a sharp call from the elder's den made Cloudpaw scramble to his paws. "Aww mouse dung, I forgot to take fresh-kill to Sandstorm!" He grabbed the squirrel and rushed to their den. As he went, he saw Firepaw and Lunarpaw sharing tongues. Heat prickled in his paws and he tore his gaze away, but the image of his silver-pelted denmate would not leave his mind


	5. Chapter 4

Stormpaw padded into the training hollow with Bramblestar. Even after three moons of training, she still couldn't get over the fact that the Clan leader was her mentor. Lately, though, she had been feeling a little uneasy. She had the feeling that he wanted to keep an eye on her. Was it because her mother had spied in the Dark Forest before the Great Battle? _That was one of the reasons why we won!_ Stormpaw shook these feelings from her mind like cobwebs. She would just have to work even harder and earn Bramblestar's trust. But surely he would understand that she wasn't like her mother? After all, every cat knew that Tigerstar, the most terrible cat in the forest, had been Bramblestar's father-

"Stormpaw? Stormpaw, you with me?" Bramblestar's questioning mew snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see her leader's piercing yellow eyes fixed on her. She saw concern in his gaze and relaxed a little. _Maybe he's not used to being a mentor.. His last apprentice_ was _a long time ago, after all._

"Sorry, Bramblestar, just thinking about Firepaw." She blurted the first thing that came to her mind. The minute she did, she regretted it.

Bramblestar purred. "Firepaw? My son seems to be a subject on all the young she-cats' minds lately." He mewed lightly, but the concern was replaced by seriousness and a touch of.. fear? "Don't tell me you're padding after him too?"

"Maybe." Stormpaw purred, but she looked away. Did her mentor trust her or not?

Finally, they reached the clearing. Lunarpaw, Sparkpaw, Firepaw and Cloudpaw were all there with their mentors, including... _Alderpaw?!_

"Alright, everyone." Bramblestar mewed, sitting down. Stormpaw reluctantly sat down next to him, though her gaze was fixed on Alderpaw. She was only half-aware of Jayfeather and Leafpool sitting beside him "I decided that Alderpaw could join the warrior apprentices today. Even medicine cats have to learn to defend themselves."

Stormpaw unsheathed her claws as she glared at the ginger medicine cat apprentice, blocking out everything else. They'd pretty much stayed out of eachother's way since he had been apprenticed. Now he glared at her, too. For a moment, their eyes locked as enemies.

 _I was the medicine cat apprentice._

 _You spend too much time with my father._

"...Sparkpaw and Cloudpaw. Stormpaw? Hey, Stormpaw and Alderpaw!"

Stormpaw suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her.. especially Bramblestar. "You.. You okay?" he mewed warily, as though a little scared. "You seemed pretty out of it."

She'd done it.. Again. "Sorry.. Just thinking of my battle plan." She glanced at Alderpaw, who flicked his ears and pretended not to see her.

"Okay.. As I was saying, you'll be paired up like this; Lunarpaw and Firepaw, Stormpaw and Alderpaw, Sparkpaw and Cloudpaw."

Stormpaw padded over to stand in front of Alderpaw as Leafpool demonstrated the attack move that he was to try on the black she-cat. "Okay.. Leap on her, don't betray where you're going to leap. Okay, you try it now."

Stormpaw watched as Alderpaw crouched, his tail lashing. Her hackles started to rise and she forced herself to flatten her fur. His eyes darted to her shoulders. Stormpaw relaxed. He didn't know what he was doing. Then he leaped.. Straight into her fore paws. Stormpaw fell to the ground with a heavy thud and Alderpaw immediately pressed her down with his paws, his gaze triumphant. "Now who will my father be proud of?" he hissed into her ear. At that moment his hold relaxed. With a yowl she expertly twisted around and pummeled his belly, her claws unsheathing before she knew what was happening. Blood soaked his belly fur. He shrieked with pain and clumsily clawed her face. She yelped in pain and snarled into his own face, "I should have been medicine cat apprentice. Not you!" She swiped at his side.

"I never wanted to be the medicine cat apprentice! You can HAVE the stupid herbs!" He growled, twisting off of her. He was about to leap back on her when Bramblestar caught his scruff and Leafpool caught hers. "Enough!" Bramblestar dropped his son and glared at both apprentices. He stalked in between them. "WHAT were you thinking, may I ask?" His gaze turned to rest on Stormpaw.

Stormpaw flattened her ears, suddenly realizing what she had done. She glanced around the clearing and fear trickled down her spine like icy water as she saw fear and shock in her Clanmate's eyes. She glanced at Firepaw and saw that his fur was bushed out and his eyes were wide with horror. Pain pierced her like a thorn. _I'm sorry!_ she wanted to yowl, but it was too late.

Bramblestar sighed, and Stormpaw looked at her paws, not wanting to meet his gaze. "For StarClan's sake, don't we have enough trouble with WindClan? We don't need Clanmates attacking eachother. I think you two are coming back to camp, and you'll explain to me just what is going on..."


	6. Chapter 5

"That's enough for today." Cinderheart waved her tail. "We should be getting back to camp."

"Right. No more for today." Cherryfall glanced at her apprentice, Sparkpaw, who was swaying on her paws from fatigue.

Cloudpaw got to his paws and stretched. His gaze met Lunarpaw's, who got up immediately and raced out of the clearing, ignoring her mentor Cinderheart's calls. He knew she would be worried about her littermate. Cloudpaw shuddered as he remembered the look of wild intensity in Stormpaw's eyes when she was attacking Alderpaw. _What got into her?_ He wondered. Then, he felt Cloudtail's tail on his shoulder. "I think you should catch up to Lunarpaw and see that she's alright," his mentor whispered in his ear. Cloudpaw nodded and raced after the silver tabby.

He caught up to her outside of camp. Lunarpaw was looking into the thorn tunnel, her tail drooping. Cloudpaw pressed his pelt to hers. "Stormpaw's going to be fine," he soothed.

Lunarpaw looked up at him, her blue eyes wild with worry. "She's never done that before! I knew she didn't like Alderpaw, but I never expected her to attack him like that. What if she is- What if they send her-" She stopped, not able to go on. Cloudpaw knew she was going to say _send her away_.

Cloudpaw touched his nose to her ear. "Don't worry. Bramblestar's a great leader, and he's probably not going to do anything too rash to his own apprentice." he mewed, but deep down he was a little unsure.

As they padded into camp, a falling pebble alerted him to Bramblestar leaping onto the Highledge. He nudged Lunarpaw with his shoulder and the two padded into the clearing to sit. They sat down near Snowbush, and a few moments later Cloudpaw spotted Lilyheart, his mate, squeezing out of the nursery. Her three kits peered out a moment later. Cloudpaw grinned.

He turned his attention back to Bramblestar as he yowled the familiar Highledge call. When he finished, his gaze swept the Clan. "As all of you know, Alderpaw is Jayfeather's apprentice and will become the next medicine cat. But Leafpool has received a prophecy that states otherwise." He glanced at the brown and white tabby she-cat, then looked over at the apprentice's den, where Stormpaw and Alderpaw were crouching, gazes fixed on the ground. "Stormpaw and Alderpaw, come here."

Cloudpaw turned to see Stormpaw, eyes wide with shock, pad over to sit beneath the Highledge, her tail low. A few moments later, Alderpaw joined her. Bramblestar jumped down and stood in front of the two apprentices, his gaze firm. Then he lifted his gaze to the sky. "Warriors of StarClan, I ask you to look down on these two apprentices. They have both trained hard to understand your noble codes, but now you have laid out a different path for them." He turned to face Leafpool, Jayfeather and Thornclaw, who had all stepped out of the crowd. Cloudpaw knew that this had been planned. "Leafpool and Jayfeather, do you wish to take Stormpaw as your new apprentice in place of Alderpaw?"

Stormpaw stared, her eyes wide with shock. "Wait, what's happening?"

"Yeah, what's happening?" echoed Alderpaw.

Bramblestar looked with pity on them. "I'm so sorry your paths have been full of twists and turns. If it had been in my power, I never would have allowed this." he said softly, barely loud enough for Cloudpaw to hear. He turned back to Jayfeather, who stepped forward. "Yes, I will take Stormpaw as my apprentice.. again." the blind tom mewed.

"I don't believe it.. she's getting off okay!" Lunarpaw squeaked. Cloudpaw and Snowbush told her to be quiet in unison.

Jayfeather had padded over to Stormpaw and touched her head with his muzzle. Stormpaw, dazed, touched her muzzle to his shoulder as was required. She turned back to Bramblestar and nodded. "Thank you, Bramblestar, for being such a good mentor to me." Her mew was shaky with relief.

Then, a yowl came from the crowd. "Is that it, then? Is Stormpaw to be rewarded for attacking Alderpaw?" Cloudpaw twisted around to see that it was Berrynose who had spoken. Cloudpaw wondered how he had found out when he remembered Berrynose was Firepaw's mentor. _Fox dung!_ Cloudpaw glared across the clearing at Firepaw, who looked a little uncomfortable. He disliked the fiery-pelted apprentice even more.

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes as he looked at his former apprentice. "Yes, Berrynose, Stormpaw will be punished. She will not be able to attend the Gathering this time and will take care of the elders for a half a moon." Stormpaw nodded, but her gaze was fixed on Leafpool and Jayfeather.

Lunarpaw breathed a sigh of relief. "That's not too bad. I thought she was crow-food for sure."

"Me too." Cloudpaw mewed. After the relief over Stormpaw, he was only vaguely aware of Alderpaw being given to Thornclaw. Then, at the end of the ceremony, Stormpaw trotted over to the two, her eyes shining and tail held high. "Wow.. I'm a medicine cat apprentice again!" she breathed. "Can you guys believe it?" She paused. "I.. I don't know what got into me in the training clearing. After that, I thought I was going to -"

"- be crowfood, I know," Lunarpaw purred, rubbing her muzzle against her sister's. "StarClan, we were worried about you! I thought Bramblestar was going to feed you to the badgers for sure!"

A moment later, Firepaw padded over. "Congratulations," he murmured to Stormpaw. "I'm sorry that I told on you, it's just I usually tell my mentor everything, and I sort of forgot what an annoying furball he can be." He nervously glanced at the little black she-cat. "..You're not mad at me, I hope?"

Stormpaw purred. "I couldn't possibly be mad at anyone now, stupid furball." She gave him a lick on the ear. "And thanks for the congratulations." She turned back to Lunarpaw and Cloudpaw. "Well, I should be going to see my new mentors.. Well, really my old mentors." Cloudpaw saw that for the first time in moons, true happiness was shining in Stormpaw's bright blue eyes. She turned and padded away, her tail held high. Firepaw padded after her.

Lunarpaw sighed happily. "I'm glad it turned out alright for her. She had me worried there!"

"She can be a stupid furball herself sometimes.." Cloudpaw grinned. "She and Firepaw are made for eachother.. Too bad he's lost his chance, now that she's Jayfeather's apprentice again.." He watched as Firepaw gloomily padded away from the medicine den. He felt a little relieved, as he had felt uneasy when he saw the way Stormpaw had looked at him. Did she really like the fire-pelted tom, even if she was now a medicine cat apprentice?

"Well, you haven't lost yours." Lunarpaw snapped him out of his thoughts and licked his ear. "I'm still around, you know."

Cloudpaw stared. "I thought you liked him! Y'know, when you were sharing tongues.."

Lunarpaw purred. "He was asking me for advice about Stormpaw. He likes her, not me."

Feeling a weight lift itself from his heart, Cloudpaw purred and pressed his pelt against hers as the two apprentices watched as the sun set over the stone hollow.

After the Four, cloud and moon will rise, but only fire will calm the storm.

THE END


End file.
